Agarwood Essential Oil
Agarwood is the most expensive wood in the world. It is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and used extensively in incense and perfumes. The genus Aquilaria is found in the triangle enclosed by Bengal, Hong Kong and New Guinea, and consists of about 15 species of trees and bushes. Trees of Aquilaria agallocha, Aquilaria malaccensis and related species sometimes become infected with a mould, Phialophora parasitica, and react by producing an aromatic resin. The dark resinous heartwood from these forest trees is called agarwood, eaglewood, aloe or oud. It has an elegant, sweet-woody odour of varying character, and is one of the oldest and most famous incense materials of the Far East. The finest quality is called Kanankoh (Kyara in Japanese). As a result, agarwood and its essential oil gained great cultural and religious significance in ancient civilizations around the world. is endangered and protected worldwide under the CITES convention.
The synonym 'Aloe-Wood' has been used very indiscriminately for a variety of fragrant woods, therefore must be used with care. The true 'agarwood' has been known for thousands of years, possibly as long as 'sandalwood.
The essential oil of Agarwood, specifically (Aquilaria agallocha) is water distilled from the fungus infected heartwood of this tree, the oil is primarily produced in northeastern India, after proper maceration of the coarsely chopped wood, the oleoresin is water distilled. Being a distillation at atmospheric pressure the process of total exhaustion is a lengthly one, the distillation waters are returned to the still and redistilled (cohobated) in order to produce a reasonable yield. Agar oil is pale yellow to brownish yellow or dark amber very viscous liquid, with a balsamic, ambergris, woody, deep fragrance. Agarwood oil can find use in perfumes like oriental bases etc. the taste is bitter and therefore probably little use in flavouring. There are also currently available essential oils of Agarwood which have been CO2 extracted from plantation trees.
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| Perfumery Uses: | Aldehydic, balsam, carnation, dianthus, oeillet, chypre, fern, fougere, oriental, sandalwood,
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